Disney executives are reportedly eager on totally shopping for Fortnite developer Epic Video games sooner or later.
The declare comes from veteran tech reporter Alex Heath, by way of The City podcast, who stated that senior executives have been ready for the proper second to make a bid for the metaverse sport, following Disney’s prior $1.5 billion funding in developer Epic Video games.
Fortnite is the jewel within the crown of Epic’s portfolio — alongside its pervasive growth toolkit Unreal Engine — and a major cash spinner. However the previous yr has been rocky for the sport — one thing that led to Epic Video games shedding 1,000 workers members final week, due partly to a downturn in engagement by 2025.
Disney, in the meantime, is already closely invested in Fortnite, with a dozens of character skins and crossovers already a part of the sport (together with Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar and Disney animated characters) and a long-awaited Disney-specific mode that is set to supply followers a spot to play, watch, create and store.
“I do know for a reality there are senior executives in Disney who need them to purchase Epic and are simply ready for that second,” Heath stated, “after which there are others who suppose it is a unhealthy thought. If Epic ever offered, if it ever determined to name it quits on being an unbiased firm, Disney can be probably the most pure dwelling for it for lots of causes.”
Right here, Heath referenced the upcoming Disney mode — idea artwork for which appears like a digital Disneyland park with numerous themed areas — and the concept it simply turned “Disney’s gaming platform.” Regardless of two years of growth work, nevertheless, there’s nonetheless no suggestion of when it should lastly arrive.
Final yr, Sweeney blasted a Wall Road Journal report that claimed growth of the mode was being hampered by gradual decision-making at Disney, one thing he claimed was “BS.” Nonetheless, that report said that the mode — introduced again in March 2024 — wouldn’t be prepared earlier than this fall, one thing which is anticipated to be borne out by actuality.
“Epic is a founder-controlled firm,” Heath continued. “Tim Sweeney has full voting inventory management and may make unilateral selections and it is actually as much as him. As we noticed, he was the man who went to bat in opposition to the App Shops, in opposition to Apple and Google to open these up. And it is virtually an ideological campaign while you’re working an organization like Epic to do one thing like that. And he even acknowledges within the layoff e-mail that it value [Epic].”
One Disney govt who strongly backed the corporate’s funding in Fortnite was Josh D’Amaro — the identical one who just lately gained the race to develop into the corporate’s new CEO. Whereas his tenure has solely simply begun, it is believed that D’Amaro will need to shortly make his mark within the function this yr — and he has beforehand remarked that the launch of Fortnite’s Disney mode can be a significant second for the corporate going ahead.
Simply this week, former long-term Disney govt Kevin Mayer stated he anticipated D’Amaro to make “daring steps” this yr and develop the corporate’s gaming output. “I believe Epic or another online game asset can be an awesome addition to The Walt Disney Firm’s asset base,” Mayer instructed CNBC.
Fortnite itself has typically struggled to launch different modes for its sport that stray too removed from its core battle royale proposition. Curiosity has waned for the racing, music and LEGO modes it launched to fanfare in late 2023, and Epic has beforehand admitted that it is struggled to completely clarify to shoppers that Fortnite is greater than only a battle royale. However plans are seemingly afoot for some type of new period, as talked about by Sweeney in his e-mail on the layoffs. “We’ll be kicking off the subsequent era of Epic with big launch plans in direction of the tip of the yr,” he wrote.
Asserting the layoffs final week, Sweeney stated Epic Video games had reacted to a downturn in curiosity for Fortnite that started in 2025, although analysts instructed IGN that fewer folks taking part in the sport’s veteran battle royale was solely one in every of its issues. The corporate has spent years combating pricey authorized battles with Apple and Google, whereas bankrolling the Epic Video games Retailer because it makes an attempt to rival Steam. After which there’s the explosive development of Roblox, which Fortnite has now fallen far behind. Many followers really feel like it’s Epic Video games’ personal workers which have paid the value, whereas those that stay on the firm say they merely do not understand how Fortnite will look later this yr and past with near 1 / 4 of the corporate’s workers gone. Maybe the sport’s huge new Disney providing will flip it throughout?
Tom Phillips is IGN’s Information Editor. You may attain Tom at [email protected] or discover him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social